Block toy building



0. W. WARD.

BLOCK TOY BUILDING.

APPLICATKJN FILED JUNE 18, 1919.

Patented Apr. 13, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

l I I I I I.

INVENTOR WW BY ATTORNEYS WI TNESSES O. W. WARD.

BLOCK TOY BUILDING. APPLICATION FILED JUNEI8, 1919.

Patented Apr. 13 0.

3 SHEETS-SHEE INVENTOR mam BY WITNESSES g mmw A TTO/M/EYS 0. W. WARD.

BLOCK TOY BUILDING.

APPLICATION FILED mums, 1919.

1,337, 171 Patented Apr. 13, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

INVENTOR m ATTORNEYS nru'rnr) STATES PATENT ornron.

.OBIN WARREN WARD, OF NEW YORK, 11. Y

BLOCK TOY BUILDING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr; 11s. teen.

Application filed June 18, 1819. Serial No. 304,996.

,To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ORIN W. WARD, a citizen of the United States, and\a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Block Toy Building, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to toy building constructions and has particular reference to devices of this kind being calculated to afford a vast amount ofinformation of a practical and useful nature for boys and girls, as wellas afiording endless amusement in the erection of building structures.

Among the objects of the invention is to provide a base and an assemblage of interchangeable blocks having certain uniform ity of character for coiiperation with one another and said base so that a child may erect buildings'of different designs or sizes according to his mental conception of such structures,the base being provided with groups of holes bored therein according to a definite predetermined plan for the erection of different sized buildings, using a portion of such holes at each building operation.

Another object of the invention is to pro-.

vide an assembly of building units having means for interlocking different elements together in a continuous operation and with a plurality of door and window units so constructed as to cooperate with the wall units, there being provided also special means for securing the wall structures in a permanent or stable form.

With the foregoing and other objects in view the invention consists in the arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed, and while the invention is not restricted to the exact details of construction disclosed or suggested herein. still for the purpose pf illustrating a prac= tical embodiment thereof reference is. had to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same parts in the several views, and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a toy house built in accordance with this improvement.

Fig. 2 is a similar view but indicating portions of the elements removed or broken away and calculated to indicate the manner of assemblage and support.

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of one of the Fig. 7 is a bottom plan view of the same.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary corner portion in-= dicating a corner post and the relation of adjacent wall elements thereto; and Fig. 9 is a modification of a corner construction.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, I show at 10 the base above referred to the same being provided with groups of holes 11, the holes of each group being arranged at the corner or quarter portions of the base and disposed in two straight rows at right angles to each other, one row being longitudinal of the base and the other being transverse to the base. Furthermore the longitudinal rows of holes on the same side of the base are in alinement, and the transversely arranged holes also are in alinement adjacent to the two ends of the base. Each member therefore of any group has a counterpart in each of the other groups with respect to its location or position upon the base. The purpose of these holes arranged and shown as described is to indicate to the child about to build a toy building the points necessary to locate the corners of the building in accordance with a predetermined conception of the size and form of the building and in accordance with the standard lengths of building units or elements.

The numeral 12 indicates corner posts each of which is essentially square in cross section, but provided with flanges 13 projecting at right angles from the outermost corner 14. The lower end of the postis fitted with a pin or dowel 15 adapted to be projected downward into any one of the holes 11. The upper end'of each post is preferably provided with a right angled. mold or cornice 16 of any suitable design.-

From what has been stated above the corner posts are adapted to be set in any of the holes 11 according to the size or design cf any position at which the posts may be placed with respect to the symmetry of the base the distance between the corner posts will always be in accordance with the standard dimensions of the sill and wall elements.

'17 indicates the base or sill members which may be either in standard short lengths so that several of them may be usedto reach from one corner post to another along the same side of the building, or they may be made in various full lengths so that a single member 17 will extend all the way from onecorner to the next. 'In either event the ends of the members 17 reach beyond or within the flanges 13 whereby outward movement of either end of the members is prevented. Furthermore oneof the ed es; preferably the upper ed e, is provided with a tongue 18 adapte ceived in corresponding grooves 19 of the building units 20 supported upon the u per end of; the sill members 17 and held rom lateral displacement by means of the tongues and grooves. As above intimated the building blocks or units 20 are manufactured in uniform lengths or half lengths 20' so that a definite number of them will exactly fill the space between adjacent corner posts providing for the breaking of joints as indicated in the drawings, thereby simulating of real building blocks.

the appearance of a standard building made The walls are adapted thus to be built up to the tops of the posts.

At any desired places in the walls may be introduced window frames 21 or door frames 22. The window frames are manufactured so as to be of a predetermined height and width in accordance with the height and length of the blocks 20 and 20'.

Each of the frames includes upper members or lintels 23', lower members or sills 24, as'

well as side members or stiles, all of the four members of each frame being assembled in the factory and so are maintained as fixed units. The uppermost and side members of the frames are provided with parallel outwardly projecting flanges 25 which receive the adjacent portlons of the block members 20 and 20' and so hold the block members from lateral movement. The door 26 may be carried as a hinged portion of the frame 22. The door and window frames are likewise held from movement laterally with respect to the wall members and consequently these members may all be said to have an interlocking action.

Any suitable means may be provided to make permanent or secure the interlocking action between the corner posts and the wall members adjacent thereto. In Figs. 2 and 3 I show for this purpose a pair of plates 27 secured upon the inner faces of each post to be renormal vertical'position. As shown in Fig.

2 one member 27 of each pair is mated with a corresponding member of. the next adjacent post, being located at the samelevel as the mating member,'and between such two mating members 27 I- extend a. tie member 28 shown as comprising two chains connected by a coil spring 29. Certain links of the chain members may be hooked over hooks 30 carried by the plates 27. The flexibility of the spring 29 provides for the putting of the tie members under sufiicient tension to make a rigid binding of theparts together. This serves to prevent the outward tilting of the upper ends of the posts and without such tilting there can be no separation between any two adjacent portions of the structure.

As an alternative form of corner structure and interlocking means I show in Fig.

8 a corner comprising a post 12 having outside flange members 13 with the same function as ascribed to the flanges 13 above, but in place of the plates 27 I provide a structure comprising a single plate 31 of sheet metal fastened permanently as by means of nails or screws 32 to one inner face of the post. The width of this plate 31 is-suflicient to provide extensions 33 in the same plane as the main portion of the plate and spaced from each other while the portions 3450f the main plate lying between the projections 33 are bent from the post or the plane of the plate 31 into another plane at right angles to the plate 31 so as to be in position to prevent the inward displacement of the wall members abuttin against the plate 31. The projections 33 o viously wil prevent 1nward displacement of the wall members lying between them and that flange projectsame as in the other structure. Before pro-- ceeding further with the roof or top portions of the building I call attention at this time to the alternative corner structure in Fig. 9 of which special wall elements are provided for the corners, said elements 20" being each provided with a tongue 18' along its upper edge similar in location and function to the tongues 18 of the standard elements 20, but the bottom of each element 20 is provided with a groove 19 extendin transversely of the block or element an hence. at right angles to the tongue 18' of the same element. Consequently the groove 19 of any element has a direct interlocking cooperation with the tongue 18' of the next lower element. Therefore no block or element can be displaced in any direction without disturbing the entire combination. This form of interlocking corner is very efficient for toy building purposes and carrying out the general spirit of the invention afiords boundless amusement as well as instruction to the child.

Supplemental to and harmonious with the corner post cornices 16 I provide any number of cornice members or blocks 20 each fitted with a cornice portion 16. These special elements 20 with the attached cornices are illustrated in Fig. 4 and in assembly in Figs. 1 and 2. Roof or ceiling members are shown at in the form of rectangular slabs adapted to extend across the building and rest upon the ledges provided just inside of the tongues 18 of the uppermostelements. These slabs may be provided with suitably arranged holes in any one of which a pin 36 extending downward from a chimney member 37 is adapted v to project.

I claim 1. The herein described toy building'comprising a plurality of interlocking wall blocks or elements, vertical corner post-s each having laterally projecting flanges on its outer sides adapted to receive and hold the end portions of the adjacent wall members preventing outward displacement of such members with respect to the posts, and

flexible tie means extending along each wall from one post to the next serving to prevent outward tilting of the posts and consequent separation of the wall members therefrom.

2. In a toy building of the character set forth, the combination of a plurality of spaced corner posts, a base member with which said posts have interlocking connection preventin lateral movement of the lower end of t e posts and separable wall elements adapted to be built up between the corner posts, of tie means extendin from each post to the next along the wal s, said tie means including. mating pairs of plates carried by adjacent corner posts, and a flexible member extending from one plate to the other and adjustably secured thereto.

3. In a toy building, the combination with a base having a plurality of holes formed therein, of a plurality of corner posts having dowels projecting outward therefrom into certain of said holes, wall elements built up between corner posts and having interlocking engagement therewith, and flexible and resilient tie means extending from one post to the next serving to prevent outward tilting of the upper ends of the post and releasing of the uppermost wall elements.

4. In a toy building construction, a corner post having a plurality of plates projecting from the inner sides of the posts in vertical planes at right angles to each other, and flexible tying means connectingsaid plates so as to prevent the outward tilting of said posts.

()RTN l/VARREN WARD. 

